A Crimson Touch on the Innocent Rose
by Chitsukee
Summary: When Ruby fall through the ground at Mountain Glenn, she finds out that Torchwick has an unhealthy interest in her in the worst possible way. Her recovery from the assault is tough, even with the support from friends and family, and Cinder's plans isn't helping at all. Warning! The focus of this fanfiction is on Ruby's recovery, but there will be a Rape-scene in the first chapter
1. Chapter 1

**Authors note: So, this is my first attempt at an RWBY fanfic. It is also my first time writing proper lemon, so you are welcome to give me constructive criticism :) I'm not sure if I will keep this as an one shot or make more chapter about what happens next with Ruby and so on. Review and let me know what you think :3 And of course, I do not own RWBY or any of the characters in this story. **

**Oh, and if you don't like to read about rape, dont read...**

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"Zwei. Zwei!" She called out to her dog as it ran out of the building they camped in. She got up from her bed with an annoyed groan and grabbed her weapon as she followed Zwei. "Zwei! Zwei, where are you?" She whispered in the doorway and looked around her."Zwei?" She called again before finally spotting him. He was peeing... She sighed. " Zwei, this is a wasteland! You literally could've done that anywhere!" She bent over to pick up the barking dog when someone called out "What was that?" She hurried to hide behind a corner of a building with Zwei in her arms. Peering, she saw two members of the White Fang who was holding weapons. "What was what?" One of them asked. "I thought I heard a beowolf, or something. " He grunted. "Let's just finnish the patrol and get back to base. This place give me the creeps…" They turned their backs to her and walked away. Ruby started shadowing them, in her "I'm a shadow, no one can see me because I am a ninja" way. At one point she almost lost her balance and dropped her weapon, but she caught it before it hit the ground. She stopped at a corner, since the guards had stopped too. She held Zwei in front of her and told him to bark once if they had gone inside. Soon he barked and leaped out of her arms. She waved her arms exited and burst out "This is it! This is it!" Then she tried to call her squad but there was no signal out there in the wasteland. She told her dog that they had to get the others and started to walk back. Suddenly the ground started to rumble and then it gave in. She held on to the edge of the hole with one hand and Zwei with the other. She managed to toss him up again, but then the piece she held onto also broke lose. Left were only her dog and scythe.

She landed harshly on her butt, greeted by swearing. She felt someone tugging her up, and laughed nervously. It was a white fang member. She tried to grab her weapon but realized it was gone. She proceeded to fistfighting, but failed miserably and fell back as he punched her. He walked up to her muttering something about a boss. She saw his boot swinging fast towards her face and everything went black.

Back at the camp Yang wondered where Ruby was. Suddenly Zwei came running and Oobleck peered in. "What's going on?" Blake asked with a worried look on her face. "Grab your weapons. Your leader may be in trouble." Oobleck exclaimed and they hurried to gather their things before heading out. "Oh no…" Weiss whispered. In front of them was Grims. More than they could count. "What could possible have made them gather up like this?" Blake wondered. "I don't care. If my sister is in trouble, _no one_ gets in my way!" Yang pulled her fists back and swung them into a beowolf. They all started to fight.

When Ruby woke up she was being dragged by two White Fang guys. She saw something looking like a bomb inside a traincar. Then they stopped. One of the guys called out "Hey boss! We found something you might wanna see. "Is it good or bad Perry? Because let me tell you, I have had a day." The voice stated, coming from inside one of the cars. I know that voice, Ruby thought…"Uuuuh. It's a little girl?" Finally Torchwick got out of the car. He eyed her over in recognition and exclaimed "that would be _bad_." She was screwed. She could only hope that her dog would get her friends to help her.

When he saw her, his first feeling was irritation. But then his eyes fell in the empty spot on her side and he smirked. "Well hello Red." Then he pushed her roughly so she fell on her back. He laughed and walked up to her. "Wow. You are much more manageable without that oversized gardeningtool of yours." She got up and tried to punch him but got knocked over like a child.. "You know Perry. I really did need this." he told the white fang member and laughed. He was about to grab a hold of her arm when she used her speed to race of, leaving a trace of rose petals. Torchwick turned around astonished and watched her run. Then he shot the handle of his cane out to fetch her again. It caught her hood and he hauled her in. "I see you got some tricks up your sleeve. Let me make this clear. I still got a lot of things to do with you, and you won't get away." She puffed up her cheeks. "My team is out there and they will come here and kick your ass!" He raised one brow. "That is, if they'll get through all the Grimms we've lured here. You see, we needed a lot of them in our plan, so this place is crowded with them by now. I seriously doubt they will get through alive." She looked insecure and vulnerable. Torchwick turned his attention to the masked men around him. "Now, I'll be dealing with this nuisance in this car and if someone enters, they will have to ride in one of the loaded cars. Alright?!" the members nodded scared and went off to warn the others.

In the car Torchwick threw Ruby against the wall and pinned his body to hers. "You know Red, I've been dreaming of you. Your body felt so soft, so...Enjoyable". He whispered hoarsely in her ear and let his thumb trace her cheek. She made a disgusted noise and tried to push him away. He chuckled darkly at her futile attempts of escape. "It made me wonder if you'd feel the same in reality." He ripped of her cloak and licked slowly along her throat, starting at the collarbone and ending at the corner of her mouth. Her breath hitched in shock of the sudden physical contact and she felt frightened for the first time in his presence. "Let's find out, Red, if you are as delicious and satisfying as in my dreams." She was about to protest when he crashed his lips onto hers. His hot toungh invaded Ruby's mouth and did he love it. Her struggle to break free worked him up and he rubbed his erection against her sex to ease the strain caused by the slim pants. Shudders went through her body and he felt her tears against his face. He broke the deep kiss and stared bewildered at her. "Oh Red... I can't say it won't hurt. Because it will. I'll make sure it will. And those salty tears are so sexy... " He leaned up close and put his lips to her ear. " I can hardly wait to hear you scream." She was sobbing violently now and spat out incoherent pleas. He pulled his gloves off with his teeth and pushed her down on the floor. Then he pulled his scarf off and tied her hands up to a handle attached to a box with cargo. He attacked her lips again whilst sliding his bare hand over her covered breasts. Then he pulled of the clothes on her torso and enjoyed her breasts once again. They were still growing, but quite nice for her young age. He moved down and licked her on the chest as he proceeded to tug down her skirt and tights. "_Pleah-ease..._" She sobbed, "_Please don't… Do-don't... do thih-is."_ He eyed her cute naked body and felt himself spasm painfully. He groaned and let one of his fingers enter her. She gritted her teeth and turned her head away, eyes shut tight. She wasn't crying any longer which saddened him a little. She was dry, so he pumped his finger and twisted it inside her. Her leg spasmed when he thrusted harder and he saw how she held in a moan. Soon she was wet enough to feel pleasant for him, and he pulled his pants and boxers down. She relaxed when he removed his hand, only to inhale sharply when she felt his erection slid down to her entrance. She looked him in the eyes with a last pleading look but saw nothing good. Just some crazy green eyes matched by a merciless grin. He pushed himself into her in a quick thrust, earning a quiet scream of pain. She was way tighter than he'd expected to, and her hot inside made him ecstatic. He started moving in a rhythm, harsh and lustfully. Blood trickled down on the metal floor of the train as he took her virginity, and her agonized screams only made him go wilder, until he reached his peak letting out a husky moan while riding out the orgasm. She cried in more pain as the salty seed covered her wounds. He panted for a while, trying to regain his normal breathing. Then he rolled off her and pulled up his pants.

A loud exploding noise reached his ears. He got out and saw the friends of Red standing in the smoke from the explosion. He knocked her unconscious, pulled her clothes back on and smeared the blood all over her to make her look very badly beaten up. Then he dragged her to the door and saw what probably was her tutor, a man with glasses and green pointy hair, running towards him. He tossed her towards the man, who got there just in time to catch her. "I'm sorry, but we'll fight another day. You better get her to a hospital or she won't survive." He said with a mocking tone. Yang roared when she saw her sister and rushed up to fight Torchwick. "No, Yang! Your sister will die if you fight him!" Oobleck called out and Weiss grabbed Yangs shoulder to hold her back. "**You monster! I'm gonna kill you one day! I swear!**" Torchwick snorted. "Like I said, you better hurry or she'll die." He waved them goodbye and leaned back against the train. "Team RWBY, we have to go. Now!" Oobleck started walking towards the exit which was held open by a White Fang member. The rest of the team joined up, Yang caressed her sister's face while walking. "You just gonna let them go, boss? Even though one of them is dying?" Perry asked puzzled. "Yeah. Otherwise we'll have to fight them and lose time. They might even be able to ruin our plans. And, Red is not dying at all. I just lied to get them of my back. Now we have a couple of hours before their backup is here, so prepare to take off soon." Perry bowed shortly and set off. Torchwick grinned. "Red. You were better than I could've imagined." He stated, amused and fulfilled.


	2. Chapter 2

**Authors note: So, I decided to continue this story. One reason is because there was too many ideas left in my head, I had to write them down. Another is because some of you readers reviewed and asked for it. As usual, I do not own RWBY nor any of the characters. Enjoy! :)**

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When Ruby woke up she felt someone carrying her. Her first thought was _Torchwick!_ and she started screaming and kicking to break free. "Ruby! Calm down, it's okay! It's just me, Oobleck!" She opened her eyes and saw the greenhaired hunter. A tear found it's way down her cheek. "_Late_…" She whispered, barely audible. Yang came into her vision. "You're gonna be alright sis. You're gonna survive!" She bent closer to Ruby's face as she clearly was trying to say something. "_I… I don't want to_." Shock was written on the blonds face. "What did she say?" Weiss blurt out. The group came to halt as Yang seemed frozen to the ground. "**What… What did he do?! I'm gonna kill him! Let me go back and kill him!**" Her hair shone stronger than none of them ever had seen before. "What? Yang, tell us what she said!" Weiss asked once again in a demanding voice. Oobleck cleared his throat. "We can do this later, or would you rather discuss this over Ruby's last breath?" Yang was still glowing, but she seemed to assemble herself a little. Ruby whispered something, cleared her throat and tried again, a little louder. "I'm not gravely injured…" Everyone turned their eyes to her. "You're covered in blood, Ruby…" Blake remarked. Ruby looked at her body and tried to feel if there was pain anywhere else than _there_. Except a weak headache where _he_ had knocked her out, there was no additional pain. "No… The blood makes it look worse… I don't have any deep wounds." She said with a dull voice. Blake furrowed her brows. "Then where does the blood come from?" Another tear fell down Ruby's cheek, and she buried her face into Oobleck's chest. "_Just get me home. Please?_" She whimpered. They all shared a worried look and continued to walk. Suddenly Weiss squealed. " I have reception here!" She said and waved with her scroll. "Contact Ozpin, tell him we need a transport home." Oobleck commanded.

The team sat inside the ship with a heavy atmosphere hanging over them. Ruby was curled up in a corner and refused to talk. Black and Weiss had been trying to get Yang to tell them what Ruby said earlier, but gave up as Yang threw them a murderous glare. Oobleck was constantly watching Ruby with concern, but didn't say anything, since she obviously wanted to be alone. After a while they landed at Beacon Academy and a team of paramedics greeted them. Ruby got up but snapped when a doctor wanted to tend to her. "No! I don't need any care. Just leave me alone!" The female backed off with her hands raised. Before anyone could say anything, Ruby used her semblance and sprinted to her room. The pain was sharp between her legs and she felt blood trickle down again. She hurried into the bathroom and locked the door. Then she tore her clothes off and got into the shower. When the hot water hit her, she slid down the wall of the shower and sat down on the floor with a thud. A violent shiver vent through her body and an almost inhuman sound escaped her lips. The tears ran down her face and joined the hot blood-colored water. She could barely breath through the harsh sobs that never seemed to end. She didn't hear her team and Ozpin, as they called out to her outside the bathroom. Then the door came down with a load crash, and she felt a blanket being wrapped around her. The smell of her sister reached her nose as she was embraced, and she buried her face in the golden hair as the sobs continued to rip her apart. "Shhhh… Shhh, sister… I love you sis, you're gonna be okay, everything is gonna be okay." Yang whispered. Black and Weiss stood in the doorway with Oobleck and Ozpin, everyone with the same shocked face. None of them had seen Ruby sad for real, none the less in this wrecked state. Yang started humming a song, one that she had always sung when Ruby was upset. "Hush my child, now don't you cry. Everything will be alright. Close your eyes and drift in dream. Rest in peaceful sleep." She sang it over and over but Ruby wouldn't calm down and her voice started to crack. Ozpin called for a medic and walked up to Yang. "We're gonna give her some sedative." He said and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. She held her sister harder and a single tear trickled down her face. Soon a doctor was there and gave Ruby the sedative through a syringe. Finally, her body relaxed and the sobbing subsided.

"I'm sorry Ruby, I know you are hurting a lot, but you won't feel better by keeping it to yourself. Do you think you could share it with me? Or someone of your friends?" She looked at Ozpin and a single tear trickled down her cheek. She shook her head and looked down at her hands. "I… I can't…" "When you were asleep, the medics tended to your body. We know that someone did something to your… _Feminine parts_. To carry this kind of thing to yourself will only hurt you more. It is better to talk about it now, instead of waiting and rip up a healing wound. _Please_ Ruby." She peered up to the man and took a shaky breath. "When I woke up at the camp, Zwei wasn't there so I went out to look for him. He was just peeing but when we were returning I heard someone. It was a member of the white fang so I followed him and the other man that was with him, and found their secret hideout. I was about to go get the others when the ground gave up, my dog and scythe made it, but I fell... There, another member brought me to T-tt-torchwick. " She breathed panicked ragged breaths and Ozpin gently grabbed her hand." It's okay Ruby. Take your time. " She collected herself a little after a while." He... He dragged me inside the train and closed the door. He was insane! Talking about how he had dreamed about me, and how he wanted to know if I felt the same in reality... "The headmaster's eyes darkened." I beh-begged him not to, but it... It backfired. He juh-ust started ram-rambling on about how he... He was going to make it hurt, and how he wan... wanted to hear me scream... " She was sobbing now and Ozpin cursed the man, more than he had cursed anyone before." I tried not to scream, I really did, but it hurt so bad! It hurt so bad... " She whispered the last sentence. He rose from the chair and walked up to the sickbed she was lying in. "It's okay Ruby, you are safe now. He is never going to hurt you again, I swear to you." She saw that he meant it and closed her eyes. "Thank you, Ozpin. Could you… Tell my friends what happened? I don't think I can talk about it again…" "Of course Ruby. Whom do you refer to as 'friends' ?" She bit her lip thoughtfully for a moment. "Whole team RWBY and JNPR. You don't have to say any detail, just what happened." "Okay. I will have to let the authorities know about this, so they can punish Torchwick for his crime, I hope you are okay with that?" She nodded. "Now, get some rest. You-" He got interrupted by a signal coming from his coat. He got his scroll out and answered. "What? Really? Such a relief…" Ozpin walked away, returning a while later. "Yes. Yes, I'll tell her right away. Bye." He put the scroll inside his coat again and looked at Ruby with a face that screamed 'good news'. "He is caught, Ruby. Torchwick is in custody." Her silverish grey eyes got wide. "It is all thanks to your team. The train you saw with all the bombs went through a tunnel and the cars blew up along the way to make a path for Grimms. It reached the City of Vale and all Grimms appeared. Your team went out to fight and when Yang spotted Torchwick she attacked him immediately, followed by your other teammates. Actually, Goodwitch had to hold her back because she was about to kill him… " The light in Ruby's eyes faded a little. "_Let him die…_" Her face was filled with malice and Ozpin was taken aback by her sudden change. He decided to pretend like he hadn't heard her words. "You should really get some rest now. Sleep tight, Ruby." He left and Ruby curled up under the sheets.

Ozpin was sitting in his office as someone knocked on the door. "Enter." Blake, Weiss and Yang walked in, followed by team JNPR. "Hello. Please take a seat everyone," he greeted them. They all settled in quietly, knowing he was going to talk about something serious." Ruby has told me what happened. She also requested that I would inform you about it, because she couldn't bear talking about it again." Yang clenched her fists. "I'm sorry to say this, but Ruby got raped by Torchwick." "No…" Weiss whispered and got embraced by Blake. Pyrrha looked disgusted while Jaune, Lie and Nora was in shock. And Yang punched Ozpin's desk. It broke down and everyone stared at her. She didn't even have Ember Celica on her. Her expression changed from rage to guilt to despair, then back to rage again. She rose quietly and walked to one of the walls. Then she punched it. Once, twice. Over and over she swung her fists whilst crying out in fury. Pyrrha got up to comfort her but Ozpin put a hand on her shoulder and shook his head. "She needs to get it out. She is probably blaming herself for not being there in time." Pyrrha slouched her shoulders and sat down again. After five long minutes Yang stopped. She breathed heavily, bleeding a little from her knuckles. "I'm sorry sis…" She whimpered and covered her face with her hands. Pyrrha looked at Ozpin and he nodded. She got up and hurried over to Yang. "Come here. It's okay. It will be alright." She opened her arms and Yang clung to her as if it was a matter of life or death. After a little while Ozpin cleared his throat. "I'm really sorry to toss you out like this, but the council needs to speak with me and it can't wait much longer. There is one last thing you need to know. This..._incident_ changed Ruby. She might no longer be the innocent and harmless girl she used to be. Try to accept her change, although don't _encourage_ her new malevolent side. Take care of her now." He turned his back to them and they left one after another, Pyrrha and Yang last. When the door closed he let out a heavy sigh and rubbed his tired eyes. Then the council of Vale got on screen and he took a deep breath to prepare for the certain scolding he was going to get.

One day later.

Yang peered through the doorway and saw her sister in a sickbed. She just sat there and stared at a window that was in front of her at the other side of the room. She pushed the door open and walked up to her. "Hey sis! I brought you sweets." She said with a happy and energetic voice. It sounded really forced, even though it was something she'd usually say. Ruby looked up at her and nodded before turning her head to stare at the window again. All Yang could see was grey clouds and trees without any leaves. "You know, I tried to bring Zwei with me, but I was caught by a nurse and she wouldn't let me in with him. Stupid party pooper…" "I'm a bit tired. Could you leave me alone?" Ruby stated without moving her eyes from the window. "Oh…" Yang looked disappointed but went to the door and came to a halt. "_I'm so sorry Ruby… I failed you._" She whispered and left. Ruby stared at the slightly ajar door and furrowed her brows. Failed? She shook her head and continued to watch the cute little bird that was sitting in one of the trees, and smile found its way to her lips. Her breathing got heavy and she fell asleep exhausted.

"How did it go? How was she?" Nora chirped. Yang closed the door to their dorm and sighed. "Not good. She just sat there and stared at the depressing scenery outside. She barely reacted when I mentioned sweets, and right after she told me to leave." A gloomy atmosphere laid down over them. "Well, it has only been a day since we got back here. Of course she will be a bit reserved. She'll come around." Blake stated, although there was a little hesitation in her words. "Yeah. Let's give her some time and support her until then." Pyrrha added. Everything got quiet again. Suddenly Jaune jumped up from the bed. "I can't believe they just have him in custody! Why won't they kill him?!" Yang's eyes darkened. "Because they think he can tell them things. Because they don't care about Ruby, or vengeance," she spat out. "I'm surprised you have not taken matters in your own hands yet." Lie remarked. "Maybe because Torchedwicked is being guarded by people we can't beat, smartass." Weiss lectured him. "Things like that never stopped you before." He retorted. "What did you just say?" Everyone looked puzzled at Nora. "Uh, things like that never stopped you before?" Lie said. She snorted. "No not you! Weiss. What did you call him?" They all turned to Weiss and she raised a brow. "I just thought it suited. Torchedwicked. Because he is wicked, and I'd love to see him burn." Nora cackled loudly, and the sound made everyone else smirk. Jaune gave in first and burst out in laughter too, quickly followed by Pyrrha. Soon they all lied on the floor laughing, except Lie who snickered, the thing most similar of a laugh you would get from him.

Ozpin walked up to the guard at the door and showed a card that gave him permission to visit the prisoner. The guard nodded and opened the door. "15 minutes. That's the rule for any visitor except General Ironwood." Ozpin walked through and heard the door slam shut behind him. He cautiously walked up to a cell. "Well hello there. And who do I owe the honor? " Torchwick said. Ozpin's face got dark and he looked down at the prisoner with despise. "You hurt her." He accused. "Who? Oh… You mean my dear little Red? You should try her sometime, I happen to know that her scream is wonderful. I can't wait to have her again," Torchwick stated with a casual tone. Ozpin clenched his jaw. "You're a monster. A grotesque, disgusting monster…" A loud chuckle echoed through the room. "You should've seen Red when I was done with her. That, my dear friend, is what disgusting looks like. All covered in blood and tears… Not like the sweet, delicious body she had when I ripped her cloth-" He was interrupted by Ozpin, who punched him in the face. He was grabbed by the throat so he couldn't move and the hand squeezed harder until he was choking. Ozpin hit him again and again, until someone grabbed him from behind and pulled him away. "Call medics!" The guard shouted as he struggled to keep the whitehaired man from hitting the prisoner again. More guards rushed inside and they dragged him out of there. Torchwick let out a wheezing laugh, then he coughed and passed out.

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**I want to thank for the reviews, I definitely did not expect it so soon! One of you wrote in French (I think?) and I tried to use google translate, but that didn't work out... Please keep in mind that I only understand Swedish, English and a little Germany. Now, I would love to hear your thoughts of the angst scene. Was it too much, or out of character? Criticism is welcome, as it improves my writing-ability :3 I am going away to a cottage with my boyfriend during this weekend, so I probably wont update until Monday or later. Tanks again to you who read this, and especially to you who reviewed :D**


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay... So first of all, I wanna apologize for taking so long! I'm really, really sorry! Unfortunately my imagination broke down right after posting the second chapter, so it took me about two months to finish the third one. Then, I couldn't reach my newly found Beta reader. I really wanted to get it checked out before I posted it, because as you can see, I have tried to improve my paragraphs. It was kinda blocky before. I'm not sure if this is an improvement or degradation, because I finally decided to post it anyway without any proofreading. **

**So, please comment on what you think of my new way of doing paragraphs, and of course, enjoy! ;)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or any of its characters. **

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Pyrrha walked through the corridor on her way to another boring history class as she noticed that all students were whispering about something. She couldn't quite hear what they said, but it soon became clear as she saw them pointing at someone walking past them with blood-splatter across his face and wounds on his knuckles. He had an ominous aura and everyone backed off as he passed them. She furrowed her brows thoughtfully. What could possibly have caused him to lose his self-control and hit someone?

"Ozpin! Hold up!" She called, and everyone stared at her as if she had a deathwish. "What happened?" She asked and walked up to him.

"Ah, Pyrrha. Nothing to worry about. I just taught our newly captured criminal a lesson." He was smiling, but something made her skin crawl.

"Oh. Okay. I need to go now, history class is about to start. Good bye." She excused herself and hurried to the classroom. She let the meeting with Ozpin slip back into her mind to analyze later when she had time.

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"WHAT?" Weiss disgusted shriek echoed through the cafeteria and she blushed when all students around them stared at her. She huffed and crossed her arms in an attempt to regain her dignity.

"Don't you see, it's the perfect revenge! _Torchedwicked_ did it to Ruby, so we'll do it to him." Yang was pleased with her idea and leaned back in the chair.

"You just had to tell us during lunch, did you?" Weiss said with a huff and tossed her sandwich onto her plate whilst wrinkling her nose.

"I think it's a good idea, Torchwick deserves the punishment. But we still have the same problem as with the plan of killing him. He is heavily guarded." Blake added thoughtfully.

"What is a good idea?"

Nora sat down next to Weiss followed by Ren, whilst Pyrrha and Jaune took a seat on the other side.

Yang smiled. "We're gonna avenge Ruby, with an eye for an eye."

"Huh? But you can't do that, he's a man?"

Pyrrha chuckled. "Sorry to break it to you Jaune, but a man can be raped too."

"What? No, I know that! I meant, no matter what he did he is still a human, and if we do that, we will be no better than him."

They all felt stunned as they realized they'd just discussed becoming rapists.

"I don't care. I'm going to avenge Ruby, no matter what I have to do. It is my fault she got hurt, I'm her big sis, I should've been there to protect her! At least I can do this. I understand if you don't want to join me, I'll go alone."

"No way! I'll come with you and kick some guard-ass with my ninja moves!" Nora demonstrated it by karate chopping her plate across the table. Pyrrha whacked it to the side in reflex and it smashed into Jaune.

"Sorry Jaune!" The redhead said and tried to wipe off the food from his face with a napkin. "I reacted without thinking. Anyway, I have something to tell you all." She put the napkin down and her expression became serious.

"I met Ozpin on the way to class earlier, and he was covered in Torchwick's blood. I asked him what had happened, and apparently he had 'taught him a lesson'. I think Ozpin already avenged Ruby, so there is no need for us to get involved in crimes." She caught Yang's eyes," it will only give us trouble."

Yang glared at her for a while but sighed eventually and nodded. She saw Weiss pleased smile in the corner of her eye and shot a glare at the ice queen.

"Hey. Haven't out classes begun already?" Ren stated calmly and snorted as the gang realized they were late.

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Ruby jerked awake as a shadow hovered above her. She took a calming breath as she realized it was Blake.

"I'm sorry to wake you up. I was checking the mail because I'm waiting for a letter, and saw one addressed to you. Since you were asleep I figured to just leave it at the nightstand. Here." The girl reached over an envelope to Ruby, who still had a hammering heartbeat.

"It's okay. Thank you for bringing it to me. But I wonder who it could possibly be?" Ruby looked at it curiously, a white normal sized envelope with only her first name on it.

"Where is the nurse?" Blake asked with searching eyes.

"She is not here every day. Why do you wonder? You're not hurt, are you?!" She looked like a worried puppie and Blake snickered.

"No, I was just thinking that without her around, you'd be lonely. I would stay with you if I could, but I need to be elsewhere. But I'll ask Yang to visit you later, okay?"

Ruby nodded and watched Blake's back as she exited the infirmary. She sighed. Blake was sort of right, it was getting boring to be all alone, especially since she wanted to keep herself occupied so she wouldn't think of _him._ A shudder went through her and she shook her head to clear the thoughts.

The envelope opened easily, and a single ark of paper slid out. She read the first line and paled.

Her breath hitched, but she couldn't stop reading. Her breath became wilder and wilder and the text got blurry as her eyes teared up. She read the last line and the paper fell down beside her bed onto the floor. Her hands shivered as she got up from the bed and ran to the bathroom. A sickening noise echoed as she puked. With panicked ragged breaths, she locked the door and curled up into a sobbing ball.

* * *

"Heeey Ruby! Are you-" Yang looked around in confusion as Ruby's bed was empty. Where could she have gone to?

Her eyes darted across the room to locate red and black hair, but a paper on the floor caught her attention instead. Right. It must be the letter Blake mentioned, it probably fell from the nightstand.

She walked up and grabbed it to put it back. It was tempting to read it, but her guilt toward her sister kept her from doing so. She was about to let go of the paper when a word caught her attention. _Torchwick. _She clenched her jaw and begun to read it.

* * *

_**Hello my little Red**_

_I've been thinking of you, because there is not much to do in this cell. And I realized something. _

_I still want you body. I thought my craving would end if I had you. Surprise! I want you more._

_Did you know that prisons are boring? There's not much to do, so I sit here all day long daydreaming about your delicious body and sweet screams. __I can hardly wait until we met again. I want to taste your skin, bite your neck. I want to carve my name into your thigh and write 'mine'_ _all over you with the blood. I'll tie you down and slice you skin as I take you, heh… I would love your cries of pain._

_Soon, I'll come to sweep you of your feet. Although, unlike a prince, I won't catch you when you fall. _

_I will have you again Red, that is a __promise__! And a gentleman like me can't go back on his words, right?_

_Your master_

_**Roman Torchwick**_

* * *

She cursed and ripped the letter in half out of fury. Then she realized Ruby must have read this too.

"Ruby! Ruby, where are you?!" She cried out and stumbled forward, unsure of where to start looking. The sound of a door unlocking met her and she hurried over to the bathroom. She opened the door and saw Ruby sitting on the floor, eyes red and puffy and her hair in a mess.

"Ruby…" She whispered and got down to embrace her sister. "It is okay sis, I won't let him get anywhere near you. I'll kill him if he tries anything, okay? You're safe here."

Ruby inhaled unsteadily and nodded into Yang's shoulder.


	4. Chapter 4

**I have not abandoned this fanfiction! (yay for us!) I actually got most of the storyline planned, I'm just having trouble getting it down on paper. (screen or whatever...) I will complete this, although it might take a long time. I just want to thank everyone who has followed, favorited (is that how you spell it?) and reviewed! You're the ones who kept me going, and I probably would have given this up without you 3 I'm currently working on an amv loosely based on this fanfiction, and if I finish it I will give you the link in the next chapter probably :) Enjoy!**

**I do not own RWBY**

The cover rose as she breathed slowly. A black strand of hair fell down her expressionless face. Next to her, in the dark, sat her sister. A faint glow from her hair was the only light source, except for a night light, and it had lulled Ruby to sleep.

Yang's fists clenched and unclenched repeatedly, as she couldn't stop thinking about Torchwick. The fact that he had managed to hurt her beloved sister, even behind bars, made her boil in fury. Still, she had to quell her rage because Ruby needed her calm and unwavering sister, not someone

who rocked back and forth between anger and despair.

She turned to look at her sister. A frown had formed on her face, and she was breathing a bit too fiercely. Yang's eyes wandered to her hands, as they grabbed the sheets roughly, knuckles getting white of the tension. Yang gritted her teeth at the sight. "I will avenge you Ruby. Somehow, I will. I don't care that Ozpin already have beaten him up, he deserves worse than that. He should suffer. No one hurts my baby sister, no one."

She turned around as she heard the door open, seeing Weiss peeking inside with Blake standing behind her. She shushed them and nodded towards Ruby. Blake raised a questioning brow at her, probably because she was still glowing faintly, and she sighed. "I'll tell you about it outside, she needs to sleep." Yang whispered and grabbed the pieces that was left of the letter before following them out of the room.

"What happened? What is that?" Weiss asked once they had gotten to their room, and pointed to her hand almost accusingly. Yang opened her mouth to tell them, but Blake beat her to it. "It is the letter I gave her earlier, isn't it?" Yang studied her face and hesitated to tell her, as she noticed the dark circles around her eyes, and her pained expression. But they had a right to know.

"It is. It's from… _Him_, but you couldn't know, Blake. It's not your fau-" "No. You don't understand... I should've checked it, after everything that has happened, I should have figured it out." Yang reached out to comfort her when Weiss got between them.

"Ugh, stop it will you! It isn't the first time she got mail, remember? Besides, what's done is done, and your self blaming won't change it. Now, can we read the letter? I want to know what he said."

Yang clenched her jaw, and to their dismay, she tore the letter up even more.

"NO! Why did you do that!? You… You IDIOT!" Weiss shouted and got down to gather it. Blake glared at Yang. "Isn't it obvious? She think she need to spare us from it, but it's wrong. You can't keep it to yourself! We are a team! Stop thinking you have to deal with this alone, we care for Ruby too, and we want to help her!"

"If you wanna help, then come with me when I kill him. Ruby will never be safe unless he's gone!" Yang's hair was lighting up again and she breathed heavily as the frustration grew.

Blake stared at her for a while and let out a sigh. "Fine. I hate him anyway."

"What!" Weiss shrieked and balled her hands. "There is no way we'll do this! We can't just _kill _someone, we would be in big trouble! We should tell professor Ozpin about this, and let the grown ups handle this." She waited for them to start arguing, but it never happened. They just looked at her, both resolute on doing this.

Yang opened her mouth, and Weiss readied herself for angry and stupid arguments. "Read the letter." "What? That won't change my min-" "Just do it!"

She huffed, but went over to her bed and spread out the pieces. She gulped as she read words here and there in order to puzzle it together. She got paler than her icy haircolor once she had read it all. "Ohh, Ruby…" She whispered and hugged herself as if it would lessen the distress. She felt the weight of a hand on her shoulder and was about to shake it off in discomfort, but stopped herself when she imagined how heavy Ruby must feel, with all of this on her young and innocent shoulders.

"Let's do it…" She whispered. When the hand didn't move, she flipped around fiercely and stared at Yang. "I'll do it."As ease spread across Yang's face, Weiss pushed a finger up to her face. "But! We _will_ tell Ozpin about the letter. If someone is able to meet Torchwick even in prison, she might not be safe."

"We can't! If he knows, safety will increase and it will be impossible for us to get to that psychopath. She's safe in here at beacon." Blake said and stared into her eyes. They glared for a while until Weiss caved in and muttered "Fine."

Yang sighed in relief. "Good. We'll discuss this tomorrow after class, we should get some sleep now."

*Next day*

Mercury shifted from one foot to the other awkwardly, pondering whether to knock or just turn around and leave. It's not like he has anything to do with her, they had barely met. But her absence from the lessons had peaked his curiosity, and her team had looked like they were ready to murder someone today... He just had to know what was up.

He opened the door a little and peered inside. Ruby was illuminated by a night light standing beside the bed, and it made her look quite eerie. She was curled up around the cover, hands clutching to it so tightly they were white. Tears run down from shut eyes, and agony was written over her face.

Maybe this was a bad idea. He should come back later.

"Mercury" She choked out and swallowed thickly.

He cringed as he lost his chance of escaping unnoticed and scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"I'm sorry. I'll come back some other time…" He intended to turn around, but something in her eyes made him froze on the spot.

"I...Pleah-ease... scared..." She sobbed, and her cracked voice made him walk up to her.

Releasing her grip on the covers, she reached out to him. He pulled her into an embrace despite feeling awkward about it and rubbed soothingly on her back.

"It's okay. You're safe. Nothing bad can happen. It's okay." He said softly, hushing her until the sobs faded. He released her and ruffled her hair. "A bad dream?"

"I wish it was…" She whispered quietly and got a distant look in her eyes.

"So… Something happened? And that's why you are here in the hospital wing?"

She glanced at him and bit her lip in thought. "´Mhm… I thought I would feel better now when T-Torchwick is imprisoned, but…"

"You're scared of him? Did you have a rough battle or something?" He asked, finding it hard to mask his amusement. Who'd be scared of that pathetic gingerhead?

"Yeah... A rough battle." She concurred, but something seemed off with her expression.

Mercury eyed her face curiously, what could he possibly had done to make her so scared? And even more, so unwilling to talk about it?

"Did something else happen?"

Her silvery eyes widened, a vulnerability possessed her body. Mercury raised a brow as she looked almost... ashamed?

"I...I can't… I don't wanna talk about it."

"Hey, no sweat." He said and patted her head again.

She sniffled and gave him a tiny smile. "Why are you so kind to me?"

He smiled back and sifted a hand through his silver hair. "Because you've clearly been through something bad, and you're my… friend." He almost puked at the last word. The squishy cute friendly thingy was awful, but necessary to calm his curiosity.

"Thank you." She whispered, and her eyes seemed to have regained a little of that spark they had before.

"No problem. I'll leave now, got things to do." He said and got up from the bed.

"Ah. Actually, could you find professor Ozpin and ask him to come here? I need to talk to him."

"Sure thing. See ya." He waved and walked out.

Weiss, Blake and Yang was sitting in a triangle on the floor in their room with a notepad between them with the headline _Operation Vengeance _written on it.

"So, how are we gonna end him, and what do we need?" Yang chirped, although a bit strained.

They looked at each other nervously, were they really going to do this?

"Well… We need to find out where they keep Torchwick, the layout of the building and all the security systems. Then we have to find a way to get past all guards, and I'm pretty sure we'll need some sort of key, or access card." Blake counted on her fingers and chewed on her lip.

Weiss sighed and put her hands on her hips. "I could probably get some information, although it'll have to be the last time. If I ask for any more information that is… not public, it will raise questions."

"Alright, I think there might be something in the library too. Let's split up and get back here as quickly as we can. The Vytal Festival is in two days, and I want to get this over with before that."

That being Yang's final words, they all headed towards the door. Yang opened it, and shrieked, because Pyrrha stood outside with crossed arms.

"I can't believe you decided to do it anyway, despite my warnings!" She burst out and glared at them.

Yang started to fire up, but stopped in shock as Weiss pushed her back forcefully.

"No. We are not going to fight about this!" She turned around and pointed at Pyrrha. "He deserves this. My leader, my _friend_, got badly hurt because of him. I'm not gonna let him get away with it! Move, Pyrrha!"

"No! He's in prison, you have to let the authorities take care of this. Otherwise you might go to prison as well! I'm sorry, but if you refuse to back down, I'll have to tell Ozpin."

"I won't let you!" Yang shouted and fire erupted from her.

Pyrrha whirled around and started running, quickly followed by Yang, Weiss and Blake. She rounded a corner and slammed into someone. "I'm sorry, I'm late for a meeting with professor Port," she lied and rushed off, hoping that the rest of them would be stopped.

"Hurry! Hurt her if you have to!" Yang cried, but she froze when she got around the corner, as a very annoyed Glynda was standing before them.

"I don't know what is going on, but I'm not letting students attack one another. You three are coming with me, we'll see what Ozpin has to say about this."

"But-" Yang was cut off as Blake covered her mouth, and with a shake on her head the three of them followed Glynda.

"Hello Ruby."

She jolted and stared at Ozpin with big eyes, as she hadn't noticed his entrance.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. Mr. Black told me you wanted to talk?" Ozpin walked up to her and leaned on his cane.

"Yes… I think my sister haven't told you about the letter? Because she is protective, and she thinks she have to do everything by herself, and she wants to redeem herself because she thinks it's her fault, the thing that happened to me. I think she's wrong, and she should've talked with you about it, but now she hasn't, and so I'm doing it now. Well, not now now, and I'm blabbering again." She paused to breath and blushed at Ozpin's somewhat amused expression.

"Tell me about this letter?"

She fiddled with her fingers and breathed slowly in an attempt of staying calm. It worked quite well.

"I got a letter… From Torchwick. How is that even possible?! He's in jail, right?!"

Her heart almost stopped as something sinister flashed in his eyes."I'm not sure how he got it written and sent, but I assure you it won't happen again. Could you show it to me?"

Ruby shook her head and rubbed her eyes, exhausted by the whole thing.

"I think Yang took it. But I can tell you what it said, because I see it every time I close my eyes… Honestly, I wish I didn't." She felt a sob trying to break free from her chest and it must've shown, because Ozpin squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. She closed her eyes and balled her fists as the horrific words danced in front of her, almost as if taunting her.

Her face went emotionless, as she quoted the letter."Hello my little Red. I've been thinking of you, because there is not much to do in this cell. And I realized something. I still want your... body. I thought my craving would end if I had you. Surprise. I want more. Did you know prisons are boring? There isn't much to do, so I sit here all day long daydreaming about your- about your…" She paused and ground her teeth.

"Take your time, Ruby. I know this must be hard for you, so please don't stress it."

She nodded and inhaled deeply through her nose before opening her mouth to speak again. "daydreaming about your delicious b-body and sweet screams... I can hardly wait until we met again. I want to taste your skin, b-bite your neck. I want to...ca… c-carve my name onto your thigh and write 'mine' all over you with the blood... I'd tie you d-down and sli...and s-slice your skin as-" "That's enough, Ruby. You don't have to say anything more." He cooed with a soft voice."Unless you want to get it out? If that's the case, then I'll listen." Ozpin was giving her a comforting look, but she could see the grim expression leaking through.

"He promised… To have me again… I'm scared Ozpin! Please don't let him near me!"

"Don't worry, Ruby. You're surrounded by huntsmen, huntresses and students who would do everything in their might to protect you. Even if that man was free somehow, he would not be able to take a single step into this academy without being arrested. You can relax and feel safe he-" Ozpin stopped in the midst of his sentence as Pyrrha came crashing through the door, heavily breathing.

"Pyrrha? What's going on?" Ruby asked and furrowed her brows in worry.

Said girl was standing bent over and panting as if she had run a marathon, which she technically had.

"I… Need to..hahh… Speak to Ozpin... hahh…" Ozpin raised a brow."How did you know I was in the hospital wing, if I may ask?"

Pyrrha shook her head and stood up straight as she caught her breath somewhat. "I ran into Mercury on my way to your office, and when I apologised and told him why I was in such a rush, he told me that you just went here. But never mind that, this is important! Although, could we talk about it elsewhere? I…" She quickly glanced at Ruby and looked back at Ozpin.

"What? It isn't about HIM, right? He hasn't escaped? You'd tell me, Pyrrha, right?"

"No! No, nothing like that. It's just a matter that's between me and Ozpin." Ozpin eyed her curiously and nodded. "I'll be back in a minute, Ruby."

"Okay. I'll just, sit here then." She mumbled, pouting a little.

* * *

**Authors note: As you see, I brought in Mercury. This wasn't planned from the start, but I just love that sarcastic little bastard and couldn't resist it~**

**I'm considering having him taking a bigger part in this story, and maybe even pair him with Ruby, but I want to know what you think. After all, this started out as a one sided Rosewick fanfiction, and I think it is disrespectful to just change that without you being cool with it. So please review and let me know what you think :3 Of course, Roman will still have a main role in it :P**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello again :) This is taking me quite a while, but I'm jumping a bit all over the story, writing things that are to be in chapters much later.**

**I got some response on my earlier question about whether Mercury should be paired with Ruby or not. Some wanted it to happen, but most thought it would change the focus of the story, which is about Ruby's recovery and her feelings towards Torchwick. I agree, so I'll hold it off for now. I'm thinking about writing a sequel once this is finished, in which they'll pair up. What can I say... I'm a sucker for Red Mercury. **

**That being said, I really wanna thank you all for the support, and all reviews! I always smile like crazy when I get a notification about a new follower or a review! You keep me going, and I've gotten inspiration from some of your ideas. There were some questions about things, like how Roman could send the letter, and if Ruby had been tested for std and pregnancy. The earlier will sort of be explained in the story, the latter has already been mentioned. I guess it was a bit too vague, but as Hiddenmist12345 spotted, Ruby was in fact tested, as Ozpin mentioned in chaper two, the medics had tended to her while she was sedated. I wasn't clear enough about that, sorry. **

**I'm really excited about my new beta reader though! Now there will be less grammatical errors, and I'll have someone to discuss plot with :D Hooray! **

**As always, I do not own Rwby.**

**I'm done with my ranting now, so please enjoy :) **

* * *

"So you're saying that the rest of Ruby's team is plotting revenge?" Ozpin pinched the bridge of his nose and inhaled the longest breath he ever remembered taking.

"Yes. I think they plan to kill him. They ran into Professor Goodwitch when they chased me, so I think you can find them at your office." Pyrrha nodded earnestly, clutching the arms of the chair.

He let the air out in a sigh, and gave Pyrrha a slightly tense smile. "I'll handle this. Would you tell Ruby that I have business to deal with, and that I promise her she's safe here?"

Relief flooded over Pyrrha and she nodded with a smile. "I'd be happy to. I just wondered, when is she going to be discharged from the hospital wing?"

"Today, if the Nurse thinks everything is in order. She had a minor concussion because of a blow to the head, which has probably healed by now."

Pyrrha nodded and waved him off but froze as his expression had changed when he turned his back to her. It's the second time he made her skin crawl, and he didn't even say or do anything. He didn't seem evil...just dark, preoccupied. And menacing.

She shook her head to clear her thoughts and went back to Ruby.

"You're back. But… where is Ozpin?" She leaned to the side to look behind her if Ozpin were there.

"I'm sorry, he had to take care of something important, but he promised that you are safe here. So do I. Everyone here will keep you safe." Pyrrha walked up to her and smiled cheerfully. "I heard you'd probably be up and moving today?"

A cryptical smile appeared on Ruby and she giggled. "Yeah… You wanna know a secret? I haven't told my team yet, but I can't wait to see their faces!"

Pyrrha shifted a little on her feet."Of course. If you feel like it's okay to tell me first. I don't want to get between you and your team."

"Pfff, nah. They'll be fine. Anyway… I was thinking, with everything that happened, I just wanted all to go back to normal. Just fighting, hanging out. So I asked the nurse if I would be able to enter the Vytal Festival tournament, and she said that it was okay! I can fight with my team! Isn't this great!?"

Ruby's enthusiasm faded when she saw Pyrrha's shocked expression. "You're… going to fight already? Are you sure you're ready? You don't have to push yourself, your team understands." Ruby shook her head and smiled, eyes radiating determination. "I want this. Just carrying on where I left off. Don't worry about me Pyrrha, I'll be fine."

She shrugged, still a little hesitant, but supportive. "If you say so."

* * *

He could hear Yang before the elevator had gone all the way up. She was shouting at the top of her lungs, as she always did when she was upset.

The doors opened and he stepped out to see a bothered Weiss and an annoyed Blake holding back their hotheaded friend. Glynda walked up to him and was about to say something when he held his hand up in a silencing manner and addressed the team.

"Pyrrha came to find me, fortunately. Your drive to fix things on your own is admirable, but sometimes it causes too much trouble…" he sighed and walked over to his desk, took a seat, and leaned back.

His eyes wandered over them and ended up at Glynda. "Would you please leave us? I believe this is a matter between the four of us." She was about to protest when something flashed in his eyes, and she shut her mouth tight.

"Of course." She uttered and left, cape fluttering behind her.

"I'm very disappointed of you three." He said and shocked them with the venom in his voice. "You're letting your anger and personal feelings affect your priorities. Protecting your team leader should be of highest importa-"

"But it is! We're doing this to protect her!" Yang shouted and balled her fists, but staggered back when Ozpin glared darkly at her. He leaned forward over his desk, placing his hands on it.

"So you say - but if you are all thrown into jail, she'll _lose_ her sister and her friends. She'll have to deal with the aftermath of this _alone_. Her mental health is delicate, and she was scared out of her wits when she told me about the letter. You should've let me know about it immediately, and we would've spared her from a whole night of terror!" His voice rose into a growl and he slammed a fist against the desk in anger, papers falling off as they got caught in the breeze.

The girls jumped at the sudden outburst, and tears started to form in Yang's eyes. Blake put a hand on her back soothingly while staring at her own feet in shame. Weiss had covered her mouth in shock, tears already rolling down her face.

"She's been through something horrible, and all you can think of is your own vengeful feelings! Do you really think she'd feel better knowing her friends became murderers? That you became criminals for her sake? She'd blame herself - who know's what she'd do?! Without you there to stop her, she might become even more unstable. She could kill herself!"

He huffed and sank down onto the chair again, trying to collect himself. "She needs you. More than she needs him to be gone. If you go down that road, she might never recover. Please try to use those petty brains of yours, or you'll end up with a dead leader."

He turned around so they could only see the back of his chair, and they took it as their cue to flee from his rage. They stumbled into the elevator, and once it had closed the doors, even Blake broke into tears.

* * *

He stared out through the window and tried to settle the emotional turmoil that whirled inside, to no avail. With a sigh, he turned around and picked up his scroll from the desk. He wrote a message to Ironwood about the letter, and told him to increase the security as someone clearly been in contact with Torchwick.

The sound of the elevator broke him out of his speculations, and he looked up to see Glynda enter his office. "Hello Glynda. I apologize about before, but it had been a rather hectic day." She nodded and walked up to him with a concerned frown.

"Are you alright? It's been a long time since you were so upset."

He looked at her tiredly and shook his head. "Not really. No matter how much I tell myself it wasn't in my control, I feel responsible for all this. I'm the one who brought her to Beacon besides her young age, and I sent them to Mountain Glenn." He stared down at his hands and curled them tight. "I… snapped when I was lecturing her team about letting their feelings get the better of them. Perhaps I should listen to my own words."

He felt a hand on his shoulder and gazed up into Glynda's eyes. She smiled ever so softly and the suffocating guilt dispersed a little. A sad smile formed in the corner of his mouth.

* * *

Mercury entered Cinders room and leaned back against the wall. Emerald was lying on the floor with a scroll in her hands.

"Well?" Cinder inquired.

"I'd say her team is out. I don't know what gingerhead did, but she's terrified of him. I've never seen anyone scared like that."

Cinder's eyes narrowed and she crooked her head. "So… you were with her for half an hour, and all you found out is that she's scared of Roman?"

"It's not my fault the brat had to cry for an eternity. I even had to console her…" he shuddered at the memory and joined Emerald on the floor. "I tried to coax out of her what had happened when she got this really weird expression. Whatever he did, it broke her. I doubt her team would fight in the tournament with their leader like that."

"Fine. The plans will have a slight change, but it's nothing to worry about. We have a fun time ahead of us."

* * *

"Sooo… I can go?" Ruby asked and glanced longingly towards the exit. The nurse nodded and looked back at the chart she was scribbling on. A gust of wind folded the paper over her fingers, and she looked up to see a trail of rose petals leading out of the room. She shook her head in annoyance and went back to writing.

Ruby spurted through the corridors until she reached their dorm. She hesitated a little to enter, as she didn't want it to be any different from before, but her team probably would be acting weirdly.

She took some calming breaths and plastered a cheerful expression on her face before opening the door. "Hello! Did you miss me?!" She bounced inside only to freeze when she felt the gloomy atmosphere. She looked down to see Yang, Blake, and even Weiss, lying in a pile on the floor, covered in blankets and pillows. They stared at her as if she was an Ursa with three heads, and she pouted.

"What, you're not even gonna welcome me back?" She got down and grabbed a pillow to lay on.

"I, uh… we forgot you might be discharged today." Yang admitted awkwardly and pulled her into a hug. "I'm happy you are, though! Things have been… _dull_, without you."

She was about to struggle free when, to her big surprise, Weiss joined them. A second later Blake did as well, and she closed her eyes with a smile tugging on her lips.

That night they sat up late talking about nothing in particular, still in a cocoon of blankets. Ruby broke the news to them that she'd be able to fight in the tournament, and after a little heated discussion, they planned a training schedule for the coming two days before the festival, to see if Ruby really was ready to fight. When they finally went to bed, it was almost dawn.

* * *

_He was sitting on her, pinning her down by the wrists. His hot breath tickled her throat and she screamed, but no sound came out. She trashed against his grip and sobbed as he pressed his lips against hers. Suddenly her body relaxed, even though she wanted to fight. His tongue entered her mouth, and she couldn't push it out. His hands wandered over her body and suddenly, he jabbed a finger between her ribs._

She woke up screaming and sat up, cradling the side he had hurt. She gulped for air and heard weak shouting through the ringing in her ears. A shadow towered beside her and she recoiled. Then a light was turned on and she saw her team standing there, worry plastered on their faces. Yang was saying something, but she still couldn't hear anything beside the ringing.

"He was back… I couldn't scream… Couldn't move…" She sobbed and leaned into Yang's embrace, almost falling out of her bed when doing so. Yang carefully pulled her down and placed her on Weiss bed.

"Hush...It was just a nightmare. It's over now, you're safe here." Yang cradled her and she cried into her sister's t-shirt. "He… pushed a finger between my ribs… It hurt! It hurt like it was real!" She choked out and gasped for air.

She felt someone lean over them and search around in her bed. "This is probably the reason. You shouldn't sleep with your scroll in your bed, it probably got jammed into you." Blake said with a softly chiding voice.

Ruby let go of Yang and was about to rub the tears away when Weiss gently tugged her hands down and dried her face with a handkerchief.

"It's okay Ruby. I… I had nightmares about a White fang member for a while when I had seen him kill a relative of mine. It will pass. Until then, we're here for you."

Weiss's sudden confession shocked them all, as she barely spoke about her past. Ruby smiled at her tenderly and grasped her hand. "Thank you." She whispered warmly, her voice a bit rough from the crying.

Weiss snatched her hand away and huffed. "Alright, don't go all mushy, you dunce." Despite her words, a smile had crept onto her face.

Ruby looked at them and smiled fragilely, still sniffling a little. "I don't think I can go to sleep again. I'll just go for a morning walk instead."

Yang patted her back and went over to her own bed. However, she didn't climb in, but started dressing herself instead.

"I'll go with you. I can't sleep either."

"I think I'll go to bed again." Blake said, with a nod of agreement from Weiss.

"Well, sleep tight." Yang said, and once she and Ruby were dressed properly, they left.


	6. Chapter 6

**And so she finally updates again, to Christmas of all times. I'm sorry this is taking so long, I've actually put up a schedule now. It is on trial thought, I have no idea if I'll keep it or not. I'm also sorry if there is a lot of grammatical errors in this chapter, I can't get a hold of my beta-reader :c We'll see if I'll have to get a new one, or perhaps a stand-in beta-reader that can take over when she can't. **

**Thank you all for following, reading and reviewing! I can't express enough how happy I get when I see all these mails from :)**

**I also wanna say that I got the big plotlines done already, so to the Guest reviewer(s) who keeps asking for major events such as pregnancy, I've already decided Ruby's fate. What that is, you'll have to read in future chapters, just know that requests for such big plots won't be considered. If someone have a great idea for something minor, I might incorporate it if I like it. **

**Enough of me chatting away. Enjoy!**

* * *

The cold seeped into her body, adrenaline pumping through her. She held Crescent Rose steady against the ice, her aim on the boy with pink hair. Just as he was about to shoot Yang, she pulled the trigger. The ice dust that was in the bulled expanded and froze him to the ground, and she grinned.

"Got your back!" she shouted to Yang, triumphant that she'd kept her sister safe.

"Who's got yours?" a male voice asked her, and she whipped her head around, expecting to see an opponent from the other team.

Her eyes widened when she saw Roman Torchwick standing there, whirling his cane around and grinning menacingly.

"No…" she whimpered and shook her head fiercely. Her palms scraped against the ice as she scooted backwards frantically. Suddenly, one of Weiss's white glyphs lit up, and said girl crashed into him, boots first. The impact sent him sprawling. Ruby stared at him and blinked as he wasn't Torchwick anymore. It was the boy with black hair from team ABRN.

"What are you doing?! Get up, you dunce!" Her partner's command penetrated the clouds of fear that hung over her, and she turned her head back to stare at Weiss again. She opened her mouth but her lips felt so numb, she couldn't form any words.

A worried frown appeared on Weiss face and she knelt down beside her. "Ruby, what happened?" Her brow furrowed as she looked into Ruby's silver eyes which shone of fear. Ruby only shook her head.

"Well, this is unexpected! Something seems to be wrong with Ruby Rose, but I didn't see her get hit?!" Professor Port's voice boomed through the stadium and pulled her out of the shock.

"I'm sorry, Weiss. I'm fine now." She got up and looked across the fighting ground to see Blake and Yang finishing two of their opponents.

She got into a fighting stance, and the rest of the match continued without any more incidents. The crowd cheered as they won, but Ruby didn't feel victorious at all. She could sense her teammates worried looks, so she smiled and raised her hand in a triumphant gesture, hoping it would fool them.

It didn't. As soon as they were out of there, she was bombarded with questions which she really didn't want to talk about.

"I'm hungry, let's go eat somewhere!" She exclaimed and walked off, leaving the other three behind.

They soon walked ahead of her though, knowing her sweet tooth, they'd eat desserts for lunch if it was up to her.

"Heey!" Someone called out behind her, and a jolt of glee spread in Ruby as she recognized Emerald's voice. She turned around and stopped dead in her track at the sight.

She could still hear a female voice, but she didn't really listen, all she could focus on was the black-gloved hand that was reaching for her.

Her vision started to blur, but somehow the hand stayed clear. She could hear a faint shrill, it almost sounded like a nevermore. Why where a nevermore at the fairground?

Suddenly a yellow blur appeared and exploded in front of her. The gloved hand was gone, and she blinked rapidly to see Emerald clutching at her bleeding nose while Blake struggled to hold back Yang.

"Hey! Why the hell did you punch her for?!" A blurry Mercury appeared next to his teammate and took a fighting stance.

Weiss mirrored him, but glanced at her team leader. "What happened, Ruby? Did she hurt you?"

"The nevermore…" She whispered. Why wasn't anyone else bothered?

They all stared at her as if she had two heads, and her sister approached cautiously. "I don't know what you're talking about Rubs, there's no grimm here, why would there be?"

She stared into those lilac eyes and felt the fog clear a little. "But I heard it. The shriek."

Her sister stared at her with worry and a little hesitation."Are you… talking about you're own scream?"

"My…" She stared at Yang with disbelief. "Own?" Had she screamed? Was that the reason Yang had attacked Emerald? Her eyes traveled to the girl to assess the injury.

"Oh no…" She gasped as she saw the bleeding nose, and she was starting to piece together what had happened. "I- I'm sorry!" She blurted out, and swallowed as her throat started to sting.

"I thought… I didn't- It wasn't..." She tried to explain but as soon as her thoughts reached him, she had to start over, as if she kept running into a brick wall.

"It's just like in the arena. Don't deny it this time, Ruby! I know something's not right, and we've promised to tell each other when something's up!" Weiss crossed her arms with a worried frown on her face.

"Torchwick." Ruby whispered. At least she thought she did, but considering their reaction, no one had heard her. She cleared her throat and tried again. It restricted before any words could escape, and a sharp pain in her palms told her that she was clenching her fists to tightly. She looked down to see blood trickle down her hands.

As she stared at the red liquid, she could hear his taunting pet name for her. She wanted the color to go away. She wiped her palm with her thumb, but the color smeared out and got bigger. She rubbed more intensely, it was going away, but not fast enough.

"Ruby, stop!"A pair of hands which had black fingerless gloves and yellow gauntlets on them covered her own hands.

"It was red. I don't like red. He called me red. I need to change clothes, I-" Her sister's scent went up her nose as a familiar warmth and weight surrounded her. She relaxed as the embrace brought up memories of safety and comfort.

"What's wrong with her? Is it about what Torchwick did?" Mercury's voice cut through her mental safeplace, and shivers rippled in her.

"How do you know about that?" Blake questioned him suspiciously. Weiss glared as coldly as she could. "Yeah. Who told you about the r-rape." She kept glaring even though her face brightened.

Ruby winced as Mercury and Emerald froze in shock. She didn't want them to know, but now it was too late.

"Torchwick raped her?" Mercury rubbed his neck awkwardly and glanced at Emerald before returning his attention to her. "Man… I'm sorry Ruby. I kinda see now why you were such a wreck before."

Weiss turned back to her with a remorseful grimace. "I'm sorry Ruby. I thought, since he mentioned Torchwick… I didn't mean to expose you."

"No. It was my fault. If I hadn't screamed when I saw Tor-Emerald, I mean, Yang wouldn't have punched her and none of this would've happened."

Blake took a step towards me. "You were just about to say Torchwick. Ruby… Do you see him even when he's not here?"

She looked into amber eyes and nodded slowly, dreading the reaction of her friends. Surely they must think she's crazy?

"Right… We're going to Ozpin. He must know what's happening to you." Weiss squeezed her arm reassuringly and motioned towards beacon.

"Wait, your money!" Emerald walked up to her and held out her wallet, careful not to scare her again. "Given what happened to you, I'll let this slide." She said and waved at her nose."I think you have enough going on."

A part of the weight came off Ruby's shoulders, and she squeezed Emeralds hand thankfully as she received her wallet.

As Yang turned her around and they started walking towards Beacon, she thought she heard Emerald saying something like 'and he even hugged us' to Mercury. She shrugged it off, it must've been a mishearing on her side. For now, she'd go with her team to see Ozpin.

* * *

Mercury groaned as he stared at Emeralds hand. Scissors. He had gone with paper, which meant he had to tell Cinder about Torchwick. He let out a deep sigh and knocked at the door before them.

"Enter."

She was sitting on her bed while doing something on her scroll.

"We found out what Torchwick did to Ruby."

She glanced at him in annoyance. "And why would that interest me? All I needed to know was whether her team would participate in the tournament or not. Which reminds me, you claimed they definitely wouldn't. It seems you are less reliable than I thought, Mercury."

"That will not happen again, I promise you."

Emerald jabbed her elbow into his ribs and stared at him expectantly. He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Torchwick fucked her."

A loud slap echoed in the room as Emerald facepalmed. He was about to tease her when he felt an ominous air coming from the bed.

Cinder rose and her eyes lit up. "Can I trust you on this? After your last assumption, I'm not so sure."

"What he said is true. Ruby's teammate told us outright that she was… Raped, by him."

Her glowing eyes turned to Emerald, and a crackling noise of static filled the room. "Well then. It looks like we have a dead man walking."

Mercury raised a brow. "You're gonna off him? What about your plan?"

"Oh, I won't. That would rise too many questions, and could jeopardise all our hard work. Fortunately, we have our little friend with her excellent stealth skills at our disposal. I'm sure her loyalty is stronger to me than to him, with a little persuading." Her hand lit up in flames and she grinned darkly. "Roman will regret every single thought and action towards the girl."

* * *

Ozpin was frowning at the screen before him, surely his students was trained better than this? Team jnpr was causing a scene, as they bickered over the names of team attacks.

He heard the elevator stop with a ding. The doors opened to reveal team rwby. He flicked off the screen and smiled friendly at them.

"Congratulations to the win, it was well earned. Although I doubt you made it here just to get my praise?"

They entered his office with Blake in the front. "It's about Ruby, sir. I'm sure you saw her behaving oddly at one point in the fight?"

His eyes wandered to the short girl, she was fiddling with the hem of her sleeve. She seemed nervous.

"I did. Is there anything you'd like to tell me, Ruby?

She looked into his eyes briefly before turning them back down. "I'm not crazy, okay?"

Yang squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. " No one will think that. I'm sure there is an explanation to this, but you have to tell Ozpin about it, or we can't find out."

She bit her lip hesitantly when Weiss barged in front of her with a sigh. "She sees Torchwick when he isn't there."

"Weiss!" Yang snapped at her and shoved her a little. "First you blurt out the secret to Emerald and Mercury, and now this?"

The heiress put her hands on her hips and glared at her. "That's not fair! I didn't mean to expose her, and you know it!" She pushed a finger into Yang's arm. "And she wouldn't talk. It's better to just get over with it!"

"Guys, stop. This isn't the time for arguing." Blake said and stepped between them.

"Stay out of it Blake! I'm tired of Ice Queen, always thinking she knows best, never considering Ruby's feelings!"

"I'm the one not considering her feelings?! I've been doing nothing else!" Ozpin was about to end the heated argument, but Ruby beat him to it.

"Stop! Just stop it!" She shouted, her voice cracking due to the sheer force of her outburst. She breathed heavily and rubbed the tears from her eyes angrily. "Why can't you just get along? I don't like it when you shout at each other…" She faltered and looked at them with a sad gaze.

Yang teared up and pulled Ruby into a hug. "I'm sorry... we're just unsure of how to deal with this, it's all so… difficult."

Blake squeezed Ruby's shoulder, and Weiss hugged her as well.

"Guys, I- I need some space." Ruby croaked and shrugged them off. "I know that you're always going to be here for me, and I don't know how I would get through it without you. But can we keep it less physical? For now, at least."

Ozpin noticed how her teammates flinched, Weiss and Blake managed to hide their guilt quite well, but Yang was a bit more open with her feeling. Luckily, Ruby didn't notice it.

He sipped some coffee from his mug before coughing to get their attention. "I'm sure your team always will be there for you Ruby, in whatever way you need them to." He gazed at each of her team members, "won't you?"

"O-Of course!" Weiss stuttered with a blush spreading on her face.

He smiled and clapped his hands together. "Well then. Perhaps we ought to get back on track." He paused briefly and compassion took over him as he though about Ruby's probable diagnosis." Ruby, I would like you to explain the event for me. I think I know what this is about, but let's not get hasty."

She nodded and chewed on her cheek thoughtfully. "I was fighting, and someone from the other team was behind me. But when I turned around, it was… Torchwick. I tried to back away when Weiss crashed into him. Then I blinked and he was himself again. It happened again, after the fight, at the fairground." She swallowed thickly and let out a sigh.

"I had dropped my wallet without noticing. Emerald found it and called out to me, but when she tried to hand it over, I…" Her voice broke of and clenched her teeth together. A warm hand sneaked into hers, and she relaxed.

"You can do this Ruby. You're strong." Her sister winked at her and held her hand tighter.

"All I could see was Torchwick's hand, glove, and it was reaching for me. All noises became muffled, and I even mistook my own scream for a nevermore… "

Yang let out a sigh. "Yeah. I thought Emerald was hurting her, because I've never heard her scream like that. So I, uh. I kinda punched her in the face."

Ozpin blinked owlishly before pinching his nose in annoyance. "Given the circumstances, I'll let it slide. But please, control yourself in the future. You're supposed to be a huntress in training."

"I will, professor Ozpin. Anyway, Mercury came running to assist his teammate, when Ruby asked us about the nevermore. We told her that there was none, and that it was her own scream she must've heard. She was trying to tell us what happened, when she…" Yang paused and looked at her sister. "She snapped…"

Ozpin rose a brow and looked at Ruby worryingly. She met his gaze and shrugged uncomfortably. "I don't know. I accidentally clenched my fist too tight, it started bleeding. It made me think of his nickname 'Red'. I was only rubbing away the blood, I wouldn't say I snapped."

"Ruby. You were almost rubbing off your own skin. Not to mention your incoherent rant about changing clothes because you 'needed the red to go away'."

Ruby blushed and shuffled backwards in an attempt to hide behind Blake, shame written over her face.

"Ruby. Look at me." Ozpin made sure to use a tone filled with authority, because he really needed her to listen. Blake moved sideways to expose her, and Ruby looked at her with a betrayed expression.

"Ruby." He tried again, and this time the girl turned her attention to him. "There is no reason to be ashamed of this, it is an very unfortunate aftermath from the assault that you have no control of. I… was hoping you wouldn't experience any severe psychological issues. It appears you have PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder, but I can't say for certain. You'll have to talk to a psychologist to sort this out."

"P… PTSD? But isn't that what hunters and huntresses get when they have been through rough grimm attacks?" Ruby turned her head sideways in a puzzled way.

"Yes. But as the name suggests, anyone who's been through traumatic events is at risk for developing it. It happens to be more common for victims of sexual assault. I'm really sorry Ruby."

"Now I know I'm not crazy, at least. Can the whole psychologist thingy wait until after the vytal festival? I'd like to watch as my team fight in the next round."

Ozpin nodded and leaned back in his chair. "Of course. But I advise you to stay away from stressful situations, as that can trigger you. Perhaps you'd be better off watching from your room? Preferably with the teammate that doesn't participate."

"Okay. We'll do that." Ruby smiled weakly and turned around to leave the office.

Her team followed, but as they stepped into the elevator Ozpin spoke up again. "Actually. I'd like to have a word with Yang, if you don't mind."

Yang nodded and stepped out again, her expression grim. The elevator closed and rumbled as it started descending.

"I know what you want to say, but I already got the memo. No revenge. Only care for Ruby from now on."

He shook his head and took a sip from his cup. "Not at all. I want to know how your father is doing?"

She stared at him with confusion. "Why?"

"Ruby asked me not to tell him about what happened, because he recently came out of a depression. I humored her request, as that seemed the best option at the moment. If he knew about it and had a relapse, she would-" "blame herself…" Yang finished his sentence and smiled sadly. "That's my Ruby."

He sighed. "Yes. This recent development makes things more complicated though. It's now about a probably long lasting mental disorder, and it will halt her training if not stop it completely. She's still a minor, so I will have to inform your parent, whether she wants it or not."

"Why not inform uncle Qrow instead? He's been like an extra father to us, and he could take it."

"Qrow is on a mission, and Mr Xiao Long is her legal guardian. I'm afraid this matter isn't up for discussion."

Yang huffed tiredly. "Alright. But let me tell her. I'll convince her she's not helping him by lying. I'll make sure she understands that she doesn't have to feel guilty about anything."

Ozpin met her eyes as she stared at him. "I know you will. I think you're the best person to break the news to her. Someone she always has known, and that she have absolute faith in."

He could see the bitter pain in her face as she shook her head. "She shouldn't."

A pang of guilt hit him as he realized just how much Yang had been affected by this. She was already blaming herself for not stopping the assault, and then he had told her she were about to cause her sister's suicide.

"I think she should, and can, trust in you." Yang flinched and looked at him with tears in her eyes.

He got up and walked over to her while pulling a handkerchief out of his pocket. She accepted it and quickly dried her eyes.

"You blame yourself for something that you impossibly could change. Sometimes, the ones you love get hurt, and there is nothing you can do to save them from that. It is painful, you feel weak and unreliable. But that's just the way things are. All you can do now is to focus on helping her recover. If you want to help her, don't blame yourself. She knows you do, and it troubles her."

"How? How can I not?" She whispered with a hoarse voice.

He smiled sadly and and shook his head. "I do not know. I still haven't stopped blaming myself, for many things. I think part of my anger at your plan for vengeance was anger at myself. For getting Ruby into the situation. My guilt only led to your grief and added fuel to the fire."

He walked up to the window. The sun was setting.

"I'll go to my team now, if that's okay?" She croaked out and he waved at her absentmindedly.

He didn't hear the elevator when she left, as he was recalling the first time someone fell victim of sexual assault because of him.


End file.
